Strong themes for tough times

Sandra Seaton's 'The Will' delves into race, family, power and music

When the curtain rises on “The Will” at
the Michigan Library and Historical Center Forum Friday, it marks not
just another step in playwright Sandra Seaton’s professional journey,
but in her personal journey as well.

Seaton conceived the Civil War drama on a
trip to her native Tennessee. While studying public records relating to
the African-American post-slavery experience, she examined her family’s
history and discovered her great-great grandfather’s last will and
testament.

“You could say it was something of a
revelation,” said Seaton, a playwright and librettist who has served as
Writer In Residence for Michigan State University’s College of Law. “I
was struck reading the wills by the evocation of that way of life before
and after slavery. And anytime you have the opportunity to show someone
an aspect of history they don’t know about, it’s so important.”

“The Will” is a special event presented
by the Library of Michigan, Library of Michigan Foundation and the
Michigan Historical Center.

“The Will” dramatizes the experience of
the Websters, African American brothers who return to their small
Tennessee hometown from Union army service hoping to be treated as full
citizens but who are disappointed by the very different reality of the
Reconstruction-era South. Their father, Cyrus Webster, wants to ease
their burden by passing on his wisdom as well as his material
possessions, but the brothers face an uncertain future.

“It’s about the conflict that arises out of having expectations and not having them fulfilled,” Seaton said. “There’s a lot of energy in this play. You have a lot of worlds colliding — black versus white, poor versus well-to-do.”

Music plays a crucial role in “The Will.”
The play features music by Erik Santos, the innovative young University
of Michigan music professor, composer, singer and electronic music
wizard. There are also musical interludes by soprano Pia Williams, who
plays Patti, a character inspired by the life of renowned 19th-century
African American opera singer Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield.

Seaton said she wanted to show aspects of
African American culture that only been documented with a “broad brush”
up to now. “I had studied some things about blacks in opera and knew
this was an important part of the culture that you don’t usually hear
about,” she said.

“The Will” reunites Seaton with director
John Lepard, who directed two other plays by Seaton, “Music History” and
“A Bed Made in Heaven,” and joined “The Will” at her request.
Completing the cast under Lepard are Keith Williams, Regina Riddle,
Kenneth Nelson, Corey Dorris, Michael Hays, Michael Banghart, Chris
Goeckel and Gordon Hicks Clark.

When it comes to Seaton’s work, Lepard is
a fan as well as a collaborator. “(Seaton) is tenacious,” he said. “She
knows what she wants to do and she goes after it. Sandra comes up with
great ideas and ‘The Will’ is no different. It’s a tremendous premise.”

Lepard said “The Will” offers a wealth of
insight into race relations in the aftermath of slavery but also asks
the audience to consider the ways society continues to grapple with the
issues of racial equality today.

“We can see how far we’ve come, but stuff like this is still going on and we, as a society, still deal with this,” he said. “I think we are frequently asking “How do we empower people in our world?’ and ‘How do we keep people from being taken advantage of?’”